Super share from Tony Tracy: From an article by Suzanne MacNeil from four years ago on the Mac-Paps: Canadas Forgotten Soldiers of Conscience — Volunteer involvement in the Spanish Civil War an important part of our history • November 11, 2009 Canadian involvement in the Spanish Civil War is not a well-remembered part of our national history. Yet there were those special individuals whose consciences lead them to defy the Canadian Government and to fight for the cause of democracy against the rising tide of Fascism in the late 1930s. A nationalist coalition lead by General Francisco Franco threatened the democratically elected Republican government in Spain. In 1937, the voluntary MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion, known as the “Mac-Paps”, represented the Canadian contingent in the renowned International Brigades. The 40,000 strong Brigade boasted representation from 52 different countries to aid the Republican cause of the Spanish Civil War. Franco’s authoritarian coalition was given material support by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, yet few reliable sources of official aid went to the beleaguered Republican side of the fight. Canada, the United States and other governments signed a pact of non-intervention. The efforts of the volunteers were made tougher when the Canadian government passed the Foreign Enlistment Act, making it illegal to volunteer in the Spanish Civil War or any other foreign war. The government even at times refused to issue passports to citizens suspected of travelling for that purpose. Most volunteers with the Mac-Paps were over 30 years of age, and were typically working class individuals of a variety of political affiliations. At approximately 1600 Canadian enlistees, only France’s population yielded a greater proportion of volunteers. Some important Canadian advances in medical technology occurred against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Dr. Norman Bethune developed the first mobile medical units to administer on-the-spot blood transfusions for soldiers wounded in battle. This act revolutionized battlefield medicine, saving countless lives. Much of the story for these Canadian renegade soldiers is a sad one. Of the 1,546 known Canadian volunteers, 721 lost their lives in the conflict. The struggle against the establishment of a military dictatorship in Spain failed, and Franco remained dictator until his death in 1975. For decades, the Canadian government considered the surviving Mac-Pap veterans to be an official embarrassment, and the memory of their sacrifices languished in obscurity. Because of Franco’s cold war official policy of anti-communism, the Western powers considered him an ally against the Soviet Bloc. Recognition and respect for the Mac-Paps has improved since Spain transitioned to democracy, but even to this day their sacrifices aren’t recognized in official Remembrance Day ceremonies, nor in the books of Remembrance housed in the Parliament building. Despite Canada’s slow pace in recognizing the Mac-Paps’ service, the Spanish government has taken some important steps in recognizing the sacrifices and service carried out on behalf of its people. In 1996, the Spanish Government awarded honourary citizenship to surviving international volunteers, and invited them for an official visit to the country. In 2001, former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson gave a heartfelt dedication speech at the unveiling of a monument honouring the Mac-Pap volunteers. “Canadians do things for many reasons. We have a free society in which we give each other room to make decisions, to express ourselves, to have different political points of view. And the Mac-Paps decided that this cause was important enough for them to face the anger of their own government... they were fighting for an ideal. They were fighting against fascism, which was like a rehearsal for the war to come.” Despite the encouraging words of the former Governor General, it remains unclear whether the Canadian government will ever choose to recognize in an official capacity the contributions of the MacKenzie-Papineau volunteers as being equal in stature to the veterans of other wars. Nonetheless, the courage of these exemplary individuals and the special solidarity they extended to the Spanish people in the struggle against fascism should be honoured proudly in the hearts and minds of Canadians.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:42:44 +0000
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